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MIXED GRYLLS

The Bear Grylls Survival Race has a few minor issues to iron out, but it’s a fun challenge for the whole family, says Nick Beavitt

Bear Grylls – television’s favourite camel dung eater and camping mate of President Barack Obama – devised this series of adventure races as “a test of our physical and mental strength” in his noble quest to get us off the sofa to explore the outdoors.

Entrants have the option of a 5K, 10K or 30K Survival Race, which roughly translates as a cross-country run interspersed with a series obstacles and challenges.

At the Trent Park event, which took place earlier this month, I opted for the 10K. This boasted undulating hills and had a mixed terrain of ploughed fields, grass, tracks and woodland.

About Men's Running

The temperature may be dropping but, unlike bears and bats, real runners don’t hibernate. Quite the opposite. The autumn and winter months are,
in fact, when the fun begins. To inspire you to take the season by storm, this issue is packed full of adventure-aiding advice. And the good news is, you don’t have to travel far to find it. You could, for example, try your hand at some local fastpacking. (That’s the hybrid of running and backpacking, by the way, not hurriedly cramming your belongings into a suitcase.) For the price of a cheap train ticket, ultrarunner Matt Maynard fastpacked his way along the 153-mile North Downs Way, chopping his toothbrush in half in a bid to cut down any extra weight. On page 52, he tells you all you need
to know about the art of travelling fast and light. Speaking of fast and light, we caught up with two Olympians who embody both those qualities: new 400m world record holder Wayde Van Niekerk and rising star of British marathon running Callum Hawkins. Although they specialise in very different disciplines, they both have some lessons for us mere mortals.
A lesson that many runners – including this one – have failed to grasp, is the art of the B race. Getting these warm-up races right can be a great launch pad to success, while getting them wrong can be a real confidence-crusher. On page 60, Damian Hall tells you how to strike a balance. So embrace the colder months and enjoy this issue – it’s a brrr-illiant one.